You are here

Home › Top Stories › TONGA DEMOCRACY GROUP WANTS GOVERNMENT TO CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF MARINE ORGANISMS ›

TONGA DEMOCRACY GROUP WANTS GOVERNMENT TO CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF MARINE ORGANISMS

Submitted by admin on Wed, 07/19/2000 - 00:00

NUKU‘ALOFA, Tonga (July 18, 2000 - Radio Australia)---The Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement has called on the government to claim ownership over hundreds of previously unknown marine organisms discovered in the Tonga Trench by scientists from Australia and France.

Researchers from Australia's CSIRO and France's Institute for Research and Development, together with the Victoria Museum, found 850 marine organism species, one third of which were previously unknown.

Movement Director Lopeti Senituli said it is essential that Tonga's government stake its claims of ownership over the marine organisms.

Mr. Senituli said Tonga has rights of ownership over natural resources, including flora and fauna inside its geographical and legal jurisdiction.

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.